VETERINARY EDUCATION, RESEARCH, & OUTREACH (VERO

In 2009, the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (CVMBS) began discussions to form a partnership with West Texas A&M University (WT) to recruit and mentor young people in the region seeking careers in veterinary medicine and to serve the livestock industries and the veterinary profession through teaching, research, and outreach programs. This partnership has become known as the Veterinary Education, Research, & Outreach (VERO) program.

West Texas A&M University

In September 2020, the VERO team with 4 faculty and 1 staff member moved into the newly completed $22M, 34,000 square foot VERO facility on the WT campus. As of September 2021, the veterinary team has increased to 15 faculty and 10 staff members. Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences launched a 2+2 Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) program at the VERO campus. The 2+2 DVM program allows students to spend the first two years of their veterinary education at VERO before heading to College Station for their third and fourth/clinical years. This unique program boasts small class sizes and is the only 2+2 program that resides in the same state as its “home” veterinary college. Classes are taught by the talented team of veterinary clinical educators who ensure 2+2 students receive the same nationally ranked veterinary medicine education as the students who start in College Station. Each year, the CVMBS DVM program will accept up to 18 students for its 2+2 program. The college welcomed its first 2+2 class at the VERO facility in the Fall 2021 semester. Tarleton State University

Texas A&M University

Prairie View A&M University

Texas A&M UniversityKingsville

Expansion of VERO Research Program

Faculty and graduate students at VERO are pursuing collaborative research that advances animal, human, and environmental health and addresses the sustainability of animal agriculture and rural communities. VERO researchers work on issues of great local importance while striving to make a global impact. Specific research activity includes bovine respiratory disease, antimicrobial use and resistance, food safety, liver abscesses, cattle behavior, and animal welfare. VERO scientists partner with researchers and graduate students at WT, TVMDL, and AgriLife to translate research discoveries into useful information that benefits people and agricultural economies of Texas, the U.S., and the world. A fundamental part of the VERO research initiative is to recruit and train highly qualified, highly motivated students in the skills needed to serve the future of agricultural industries and veterinary medicine worldwide. The VERO research team is currently supported by $4.6M in active research funding received from federal and industry sponsors.

WT and Texas A&M VERO Educational Successes

• In May 2020, Drs. Dan Posey, Dee Griffin, BJ Newcomer, and Jenna Funk launched the fourth-year student rural clinical training rotations in rural practice, cow/calf veterinary medicine, beef cattle veterinary medicine, and dairy cattle veterinary medicine.

• VERO faculty support food animal student mentoring for those interested in food animal practice. • Since 2017, the VERO program has hosted working veterinary student interns. These summer interns are trained in local rural mixed practices, feedlots, and dairies. • VERO faculty provide an annual rural practice and livestock operations tour for students completing their first or second years of veterinary school at the CVMBS. • VERO faculty provide annual outreach programs for veterinarians in addition to the area's workforce. These include a CE program and livestock workforce training to address the needs of feedlots and dairies.

VERO Grand Opening

Dr. Douglas Kratt, Executive Director at Texas Veterinary Medical Association Chris Copeland, and Dr. Karen Cornell

Expansion of Educational Bridge to Veterinary School

• Aggressively recruiting qualified students with rural backgrounds in the Texas Panhandle and South Plains area • Recruiting outstanding rural students from 4-H and FFA programs to consider a veterinary career • The number of students seeking the Animal Science PreVeterinary Specialization degree has increased to over 300, making it the largest undergraduate advisory program at WT.

Highlights from FY21 include:

• Opening of the VERO Building in September 2020 • Initiation of 4th year clinical training rotations on the VERO campus in May 2020 • Starting of the 2+2 Professional DVM program and the only intra-state DVM program • VERO and TVMDL grand opening for the CHARLES W. “DOC” GRAHAM ’53 DVM, THE TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY SYSTEM CENTER on June 3, 2021 • Increased membership in the WT Pre-Veterinary Club with over 100 student members • VERO partners with the Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory to hire Microbiology and Pathology faculty • Dr. Dan Posey received the Southwest Veterinary Symposium’s (SWVS) 2021 Visionary of the Year Award for his contributions to the veterinary profession. • Dr. Dee Griffin, retired Clinical Professor of the CVMBS VERO program, was honored by the American Association of Bovine Practitioners with the Amstutz-Williams Award. The AABP's highest award was given to Griffin for his 45 years of outstanding service to the profession.

Current VERO faculty:

• Dr. Kate Aicher*, Clinical Assistant Prof, Small Animal Ed • Dr. Kelli Beavers*, Clinical Assistant Prof, Equine Education • Dr. Sarah Capik, Assistant Prof, Food Animal Research • Dr. Susan Eades*, Associate Dean, CVMBS Canyon Campus • Dr. Abby Finley*,**, Clinical Assistant Prof, Anatomic Pathology • Dr. Paul Morley, Director of VERO Research Program • Dr. BJ Newcomer*, Clinical Associate Prof, Dairy Cattle • Dr. Dan Posey, Director of Student Recruitment and

Professional Relations • Dr. Jenna Funk*, Clinical Assistant Prof, Beef Cattle • Dr. Hatem Kittana*,**, Clinical Assistant Prof, Microbiology • Dr. Hugh Duddy*, Clinical Assistant Prof, Large Animal Surgery • Dr. Becky Eschmann*, Clinical Assistant Prof, Small Animal Ed • Dr. Lisa Lunn*, Clinical Associate Prof, Food Animal Ed • Dr. Matthew Scott*, Assistant Prof, Microbial Ecology • Dr. Robert Valeris-Chacin*, Assistant Prof, Epidemiology • Dr. Chrissy Barron*, Instructional Assistant Prof, Anatomy • Dr. Yvonne Wikander**, (VTPB) • Dr. Fernanda Costa*, Clinical Assistant Prof, Physiology * Faculty that have joined the VERO program in 2021 **Faculty with joint appointment to the Texas Veterinary

Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (TVMDL) and VERO